Through Their Eyes
by EquusGold
Summary: Two young women are dropped into a world they don't know or understand but they begin to be shaped by it anyway. These cousins must take their family's motto of 'Loyalty' to heart and learn that great things can come from sacrifice. Gandalf promises that he will help them find their way home, but one cousin's heart has other ideas. FiliXOC
1. Chapter 1 Cousins

**A/N Just some forewarning, this is my first Hobbit fan fiction and it will mostly be dealing with an Alternate Universe version of the quest for Erebor. I will be working off the movie mostly, perhaps with some parts of the book. It's a FiliXOC**

**I really appreciate any and all feedback on my story.**

Mikhayla laughed as Prour moved beneath her. They keenly chased the other horse and rider, all of them thoroughly enjoying themselves. Both young women had their horse-bows clutched in their hands and a quiver of arrows slung over their backs. They moved their horses using only their weight and the pressure of their legs performing elaborate movements as they looped around the course firing at the targets, the horses listening for even the slightest command.

"Don't draw your elbow back so high; keep it parallel with the arrow!" Mikhayla called as she watched Katie draw back her bow. Katie adjusted and the arrow flew straight and true, an inch or so to the side of the bullseye. "Good, you're getting much better."

Khayl, as she was most commonly known, loosed her shaft as she came past the target, laughing at Katie's scowl as she nailed it dead centre.

"How do you do it?" Katie asked almost despairingly. "I'm not bad, but I can never nail the bullseye."

"Practice." Mikhayla replied, which was more or less the answer Katie had come to expect from her dearest cousin.

"You always say that," she muttered, extracting a laugh from her friend. "Come on, how?"

"Race you to the creek!" Khayl called instead, turning her horse, Prour, and racing away. Katie huffed spurring on Khayl's other horse Nyx. They galloped after the lithe black horse. The ground thundered beneath them as the wind whipped Katie's dark hair into her face.

The horses calmly raced as they entered a copse of trees, not hesitating in their break-neck pace as all of them new the path like the back of their hands. The creek loomed up ahead of them and the horses drew even before they leapt at the same time. Their riders leaned forward, holding on tightly with their legs as they felt the muscles bunching beneath the horses powerful, bare backs.

As always the flight seemed to take an eternity but it was but an instant later that they again adjusted their positions as the horses landed smoothly and calmly. They were in mid motion of running when the ground seemed to slip out from underneath the horses steady feet. They felt as though they were trying to run up a ninety degree surface when the horses just slid backwards.

Mikhayla wrapped her arms and hands in Prour's thick mane as the gelding screamed, legs scrambling for purchase that was no longer there. Mikhayla opened her eyes for a fraction of a second before joining her horse's scream. The trees, land, creek, sky! It was all gone! They were falling through nothingness with mist all around them, above and below them.

And still they kept falling.

Up,

Down,

Or perhaps they were floating?

With no solid surroundings Khayl couldn't be certain of anything.

All she knew was that Nyx and Katie were with them.

Then it all went dark…

When Mikhayla's consciousness flickered back again she took an involuntary gulp of air, only she dragged in water instead. Reacting instinctively she gagged before the water had gone half way down her throat, coughing it back into her mouth. Now that she was slightly more aware she panicked as she felt water pressing in all around her.

She saw Katie striking out for the surface and did the same, cupping her hands and dragging the water out behind her. Her clothes weighed her down but they weren't far from the surface. Lungs already burning she broke out into the cool, crisp fresh air and heaved in a lungful of oxygen.

"Mikhayla?" she heard Katie splutter.

"Here!" she replied looking around. Prour and Nyx were there too, both of them quickly paddling to shore with long powerful strokes. Together Khayl and Katie followed the horses, clambering onto the bank with fatigued limbs. Both of them dropped their sodden bows and quivers on the ground before they collapsed beside them.

"Prour!" Khayl called, coughing a little from the water that she had very nearly inhaled. The soot coloured horse looked over before he began to walk towards her, Nyx following suit.

"Where are we?" Katie asked, tilting her head back as she looked all around them.

"I'm… I have no idea," Mikhayla said frankly, frowning. The land around them was lush and green with a brilliant blue sky and nary a cloud in sight. The embankment they had clambered upon was littered with rocks and wiry grass. There were trees everywhere; Mikhayla could see no more than a hundred metres in any direction for the trees, except over the lack which was at least a half kilometre wide. "It's definitely not home."

"But how did we get here!?" Katie cried anxiously, wrapping her hands in her soaking hair. "Khayl, how did we get here!?"

"I don't know!" Mikhayla snapped at her frantic friend, her mind whirring a thousand miles a minute as she tried to come up with an answer. It was something simple, it had to be. There was a simple explanation and all she had to do was find it. "Maybe we went through a portal?" She said, shrugging. The words sounded stupid even as she said them.

"Ridiculous," Katie breathed as she looked around them once again. "This just isn't possible."

"Anything's possible," Khayl replied, moving further up the bank with her things and her horse. Katie hurriedly followed with Nyx who stubbornly insisted that she be allowed to eat grass before they went anywhere. "Isn't that what someone once said?"

"Shut up."

They moved into a copse of low trees where the two young women eagerly stripped their sodden outer clothing and laid it in the sun before tying up the horses.

"I say we just rest here until we're dry and move on then," Khayl yawned, exhausted all of a sudden. "We can find people and then find out where we are."

"What's happening to us, Khayl?" Katie asked, looking to her cousin for reassurance. Mikhayla was only a few months older, but she had always been mature and wise, even when they were just little. Khayl always knew what to do. She would look after them, there was a simple explanation. Her mother had once said that Khayl was an old head on young shoulders. Khayl would work it out.

"Just rest." came the simple reply. Katie sighed and laid down, rolling onto her side and curling up into a little ball, confident that Khayl would watch over her as she slept.

As soon as Katie was breathing deeply and surely, Khayl also laid back before closing her eyes and opening her other senses. She did as she had taught herself, slowly relaxing and branching out her mind. As her sense of her own body grew smaller, her sense of the world around her grew larger.

It was real. That was the very first thing she realised. She could smell crushed pine needles and damp leaf litter. She could hear a flock of birds calling to each other, a ravens call as it was attacked by a nesting pair. There was a small creature moving very quietly through the undergrowth a few metres away, though it was hesitant of the heavy moving of the horses. Khayl opened her mouth instantly and all of a sudden she could _taste _the world around her. The slightly damp particles that floated through the air, the warm, moist air rising from their damp bodies as the two of them lay in partial sunlight. There was a twittering of insects nearby and a fish flopped lazily on the lake. Khayl felt intoxicated by the sheer multitude of things she could sense. It was all very real and it was all very different. Where she had grown up in Australia everything was hot and dry, and when the wind blew it too was hot and dry. The most common scent there was of dust and heat. This was place was like nowhere she had ever been before.

But it _was _real.

Khayl lay back and rested her head on her arm, opening her eyes and looking up at the wavering tree tops. She heard the small creature rustling through the undergrowth again and looked over in interest. A large rabbit gazed back at her timidly. It was halfway through shedding a winter coat and Mikhayla found she had to smile at its patchwork appearance and bright black eyes. Seeing her as no threat the rabbit began to clean itself, resting in the sunlight as she and her cousin were doing.

Katie murmured something in her light sleep and Khayl turned her eyes towards her instead. The other young woman had rolled over onto her other side now so that she faced Khayl. Her eyes moved restlessly beneath their lids and her hands clutched at something that wasn't there. Mikhayla wondered if she was thinking about her family.

Khayl herself wondered briefly what it would be like if she never got to see her parents or her big brother again. She would miss them, she knew, but she knew it would be enough for her just to know that her family was happy. She hoped that her disappearance wouldn't cause them too much pain. They may not have been the closest family, but they were one of the strongest she had ever met. They accepted one another for who they were and had no problem allowing one another to find their own way. It didn't make their reactions to the current situation seem so scary. They would probably just scold her for disappearing and take her story with a laugh and a wink.

Katie's family one the other hand … they tended to cling to one another emotionally. They were a lot closer and once they realised that Katie had disappeared they would likely flip out, even if they were only gone for a few hours. It would probably be almost a week before Mikhayla's family became overly concerned, by which time both she and her cousin would be safely home with them laughing about their wild imaginations. A portal. Khayl had to laugh at her idiotic idea, even though it had just been a stray thought.

It was high noon when Khayl shook Katie gently. The younger girl jolted out of her sleep, immediately springing into full awareness. Mikhayla hadn't realised her sleep had been so uneasy.

"We should get going," Khayl said to her dark- haired cousin. "I'm half-starved." As if in response her stomach gave a particularly ferocious growl causing Katie to laugh slightly. Over the past hour the innocent little rabbit had begun to look particularly appetising. She probably would have tried to catch it save for the fact that neither of them had a lighter or a knife.

"Me too," Katie began to get dressed, increasingly aware that she had been virtually naked aside from her bra and knickers. Khayl had long since gotten dressed in her usually tattered jeans and a black singlet with white branding on it. Between that, her casually scuffed boots and well-toned, muscled body she looked like she could take on the world. Katie, on the other hand was painfully conscious of her 'cushioning' as her mother called it as well has standing well under a head shorter than her cousin. She had to admit that they looked nothing alike.

Khayl was tall, thin and fair with a glowing tan and adorable freckles. Her hair was auburn but in the sun it shone brilliant shades of crimson, copper and gold. Her face was solid with high cheek bones and expressive brows. She wore singlets because regular shirts pinched her broad, powerful shoulders. Her jeans clung to the muscles on her legs and she made everything look ten shades too easy. She could turn her hand to anything and she drove every girl green with envy.

Despite that Katie loved her to bits. Khayl was such a simple, kind person and she had a nature that you either loved or despised. Katie felt like the only way anyone would know they were related was if you left them alone for two minutes. Or if someone picked on Katie, because then Khayl's gentle hands would be powerful as she cut them down to size. That kind of loyalty was one of the defining traits of their family, and there was nobody that could take that away from them.

They were Coulter's and they were cousins. Whatever was happening now had better be ready to take them on together.

"Are you done daydreaming?" Mikhayla called as she used a rock to boost herself up onto Prour's bare back. The clever black horse bowed his head in acceptance of his load and responsibility to carry his rider safely. Katie managed a small smile as she looked at them both, proud and loyal, clever and fierce. It's like they were reflections on one another.

Katie pulled on her other boot and walked over to Nyx who nickered a small greeting. She took the reins and guided him next to the same rock Khayl had used and turned to mount when she felt the ginger horses teeth latch onto her jeans and the flesh beneath. Mikhayla laughed as Katie squealed and danced about, growling at Nyx before vaulting onto her back.

Needless to say, the connection between those two wasn't quite so strong.

**A/N whew! First chapter haha. I'm just glad I managed to get that off my chest. I just wanted to get this story out in the open but what I really want to know is if you like it so far? If you do I would be so excited to keep writing it for you.**** The only reason I write fanfics is for the audience (and to express what lurks around in my head haha) so please, at no point in this story be a silent reader.**

**Also, what did you think of the chapter length? **


	2. Chapter 2 Where We Stand

**A/N I should probably say this now, seeing as though I forgot last time. I don't own any of the wonderful 'The Hobbit' characters, no matter how incredible they may be. All I own are my OC's and my imagination. **

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

**Thankyou so much! 3 favs and 4 follows on only my first chapter? You have no idea how that makes me feel! *buzzes happily* Especially thanks to Mallosneth and Marina Oakenshield for being my first reviewers! Happy reading!**

Fear and desperation drive people to do irrational things. Khayl knew this, but it didn't prevent her from pushing Prour hard through the darkness. The only indication she had of where Nyx and Katie were was the little ginger horse's snorts as he cantered just behind them, forcing the water out of his nose and oxygen into his lungs.

They were all scared now, now that darkness had arrived and they hadn't seen a soul all day. Not even a single trace of humanity. They hadn't seen a plane, a road or even some long forgotten piece of trash. So they had continued moving along almost non-existent track that crawled through trees and over hills. The horses were anxious now, weary and hungry, but they kept moving at the girls' bidding even though their brains told them to stop and rest. Like their riders they wanted safety and comfort, a warm place to rest.

More than anything though, they all just wanted the rain to stop; it had come from nowhere, a slight drizzle at first before become a torrential downpour. The two young women and their horses were now wetter than they were after climbing out of the lake. Mikhayla thought that the lake might just be warmer to, as she gritted her chattering teeth against the lashing wind and biting cold. Her toes had curled up inside her boots and her bare shoulders felt as if the skin had been torn from them. Her wild auburn hair was plastered to her face, neck, shoulders and chest. It got in her eyes and slipped into her mouth or nose when she tried to breath. She couldn't feel her hands anymore so she just gave Prour his head and let him run. If anyone could find them a safe place to rest she felt certain that it would be the wily gelding with his keen senses.

There was a wild, irrational fear within Khayl that they were being chased. She kept glancing back for signs of pursuit but all she could see was thick walls of inky blackness surrounding them on all sides. Every now and then a bolt of lightning would lance across the sky, cracking like a tremendous whip. At these times Khayl would shudder and she would feel Prour bunch beneath her as he redoubled his efforts. She didn't fear losing Nyx and Katie; Prour would never leave his companion behind. Another flash of light and Mikhayla realised she had been staring directly at her cousin who, like her, was crouched low over her horse's neck to prevent her bow or head from getting struck by any overhanging branches.

It seemed to Mikhayla that this dark, miserable night would never end, filled with anxiety and irrational fears as it was. But then she spotted a light and knew that her trust in her noble Prour had not been misplaced; he was leading them straight towards a building of some sort. They cantered the horses right up the house, seeing in the dim light that it was a very old cottage of some type with a small stable out the back.

"Hello!?" Katie called, springing down from her horse and ignoring the pains that shot up and down her body. She resisted the urge to move bow-legged and she scrambled to the door. "Hello? Can anybody help us please?"

Khayl clambered down and held both the horses, watching after Katie intently. Mikhayla saw something move out of the corner of her eye as she stared after her cousin. She whipped her head around fast enough to catch sight of a face disappearing behind a curtain. After a moment there was a clunk as the heavy wooden door drifted open a fraction. The face that stood behind it was stern and hard and the man looked out at them with clear suspicion written all over his features.

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice grave and severe, though Khayl though she could hear a wavering tone in it.

"We need shelter from the storm sir, and some food if you have any to spare," Katie put on her utmost endearing voice, though there was a strange note as she looked at the man closely. Khayl leaned forward a little, squinting as she tried to see the same as what her cousin had. The light behind the man silhouetted him and she could see no more than some vague out lines of his figure. "Anything you can spare would be greatly appreciated, though I am afraid we have nothing to repay you with."

The man stared at Katie for a long hard moment before he flicked his eyes over to where Mikhayla stood, still getting thoroughly drenched by the rain. Nyx nuzzled against her arm uneasily and Khayl scratched the older mares muzzle absently.

"What are you doing in the storm?" The man asked simply. Mikhayla wondered why on earth this man was so suspicious.

"We were lost and trying to find our way home when the storm struck. Now we are even more lost."

The man said nothing, preferring to mull over Katie's words as though deciding whether or not he believed them. He had no opportunity to reply however as the door was soon yanked out of his grasp by a stout middle-aged woman with rapidly greying hair.

"That's terrible, my dear!" she cried, taking Katie's hands in her own. She looked up at Khayl who had so far remained silent through the whole encounter. "You can leave the horses in the barn with your things. Then come in and get something to eat! You must be famished." The woman smiled broadly. Katie and Khayl attempted small smiles in return, unnerved by the woman's completely opposite disposition to her husbands.

"I will take care of the horses," Mikhayla said quietly to Katie as she stepped back into the rain to pass the older cousin her bow and half-full quiver. "Watch yourself with them." She warned.

"I will."

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The barn was small but comfortable and Khayl wasted no time in feeding and watering the horses. There was another horse in the barn also, an enormous dapple grey draft horse. He was soon snuffling quietly with Prour, though Nyx couldn't reach the stranger. The horses looked comfortable and settled as she removed the leather bitless bridles they both wore. They both nudged her appreciatively as she left them after checking their muddied feet for stones. The horses felt happy and safe so Mikhayla felt the same feeling blossoming within her chest. She even whistled a light-hearted tune as she strode from the barn to the front of the cottage. She knocked and the door swung open with Katie right behind it.

"You're here!" she squeaked anxiously, reaching out and taking a hold of Khayl's arm tightly.

"What's wrong?"Khayl found herself forced to ask. "Katie?" Neither the man nor his wife were in the room at the moment, but she supposed they were in the kitchen as her keen ears followed the sound of cutlery and plates.

"Nothing, not really. You'll – you'll just have to see for yourself. It's very strange – but it's not an act!" Katie looked as though there was something she was really trying to say, but just couldn't bring the words together sensibly. But as Mikhayla looked around the house she got a vague impression of what her cousin was trying to say.

There were no electronics, nor anything that looked like it was from the last four centuries. The entire cottage looked exactly like what Khayl imagined a medieval-type household would look like. The man that walked through from the kitchen balancing two bowls loaded with stew just reaffirmed her suspicions. He looked like a typical medieval farmer, or at least what she imagined one to look like. What had Katie said? 'It's not an act.'

She looked at Katie, who stared back wide-eyed. Mikhayla opened her mouth to say something but it started watering so fiercely she was forced to close it again, her stomach screaming at her as her nostrils were assaulted by a myriad of savoury scents.

"Dig in!" the woman exclaimed with a broad smile, drawing four tankards and a jug out of a cupboard. She gave the jug to the other man who left the room, presumably to fill it. Khayl didn't wait to find out; she virtually inhaled the stew and then looked over with envy at Katie who pursued the contents of bowl in a more sedate manner. The older man returned with the jug and filled all four tankards to the brim. Mikhayla watched them both take a drink before she took an experimental sip of the brown liquid with its frothy top. It wasn't beer, her tastebuds knew that much, but she enjoyed it all the same, right down to the last drop.

Their hosts however weren't hesitant in providing a refill however and talk steadily began as Katie finished her stew and also turned to the drink. Though she had never tried it before, Khayl had a nagging suspicion that it was ale. Not that it really bothered her.

Khayl and Katie introduced themselves and stuck to the story of how they had become lost with Khayl's quick tongue filling in a few blanks here and there.

"So what were you doing so far from home?"

"There was a wolf," Khayl improvised, catching the encouraging look her cousin tossed her way. "It's killed tons of our lambs. So we thought we would take our bows and deal with the problem. Only thing is, we got a little too wrapped up in the hunt, and lost our sense of time and direction. Nowhere seemed familiar."

The older couple took Mikhayla's word at a glance, all signs of suspicion having been shut outside along with the rain and lightning. An idea sparked within Khayl's mind as she sat there, mulling over the top of her tankard.

"You wouldn't happen to have a map perchance?" she asked with eager eyes.

"Of course, you can take it with you, if you like." The woman took their bowls from them with a soft smile before returning with an old, faded map. It was wrapped tightly in a waterproof skin. She also gave them a thick parcel each, which the two young women took with a gracious nod. "Go and get some rest, my dears. Just come and get us if you need anything." The woman offered kindly, ushering them to the door.

The two cousins stumbled wearily to the barn where they checked the horses before they opened the parcels, looking at one another as a thick rug fell out for each of them, followed by an assortment of clothing. They spent a mere moment to glance at their own soaked clothing, feeling the wetness cling to their bodies before they tried on a variety of clothing combinations, each modelling for the other.

Finally they were satisfied, and both lay down in clothes that were too big but warm. The heavy snuffling of the horses lulled them into deep sleeps.

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**A/N I think I can safely say you have no idea what these to (Khayl in particular) are in for haha. But you'll just have to wait and find out. *smiles* updates may be a bit irregular 'cause I'm year eleven this year and working hard, so I thought I would forewarn you. Your feedback will absolutely pulverise any writers block however! So thanks in advance. I also want to hear your ideas!**


	3. Chapter 3 Those Darn Fey

Katie woke up with the scent of hay tickling her nose. She was secretly glad that she didn't have any allergies as she sat up wearily, yawning widely and rubbing her eyes. She could hear Khyal breathing quietly from somewhere beside her. Katie stretched the stiffness out of her arms and legs before she forced herself to her feet, groaning as her head gave a disconcerting spin before settling. Her eyes focused and she moved over to Nyx, patting the ginger mare affectionately on her nose.

"Good morning," she yawned, attempting to straighten her clothes. The burgundy tunic she wore was soft and worn with a frayed hem. The pants were woollen and a little itchy. But they were warm nd comfortable, and for that she was grateful. "Sleep well?" she asked the cheeky horse who nickered in response. Mikhayla murmured in her sleep and Katie looked over at her cousin, hoping she hadn't disturbed her rest.

She saw Khayl's contented, sleeping face, but then she did a double take and stifled a scream.

"Khayl?" she called softly, torn between waking her and leaving her be. The other woman shifted in her sleep, settling on her back before becoming still once more. Katie decided she was probably going crazy. Or it was some kind of strange prank. The couple… what if they did it?

Katie snatched up her bow and arrows before storming out of the barn. She tried to channel her terror and confusion into rage and bravery, but such a thing wasn't necessarily in her nature. By the time she got to the door of the cottage she was practically quivering with fear, though her heart stubbornly refused to accept what her eyes were seeing.

She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window and was more than relieved when the appearance of her face was perfectly normal. A piece of her mind shot back to Khayl's face and she felt a part of her heart burn with sympathy. If these people had done this to her… But what if they hadn't? Who was to blame then?

"Hello!?" she banged her fist on the door, not caring if she woke the couple. "I need to talk with you!" and possibly kill you if you did anything to Khayl, she added quietly in her mind. She went to pound on the heavy wooden door again but it flew open at her touch.

"What!? Has something happened?" The woman exclaimed, staring wild eyed at Katie. Her hair was frizzy and unkempt, her eyes still bleary from sleep. Her other half appeared at her shoulder a moment later, fully dressed and looking tired but alert. "What are you hollering about, dear?"

There was utter bewilderment in the woman's eyes as she scanned Katie's features and the young woman was now certain that the couple had done nothing to Khayl.

"Something – something happened to Khayl! But I don't know what! I jus- I just woke up and she was changed!" Katie sobbed, burying her face in the woman's chest as she was hugged fiercely.

"Hush my dear," the woman stroked her hair gently. "Let us come and have a look at your friend and we can see what the matter is for ourselves. Now stop this foolish crying this instant young lady." She smiled at Katie ever so gently and the young woman bowed her dark head, smiling sheepishly.

"Of course ma'am," Katie led the way to the barn, uneasiness growing in the pit of her stomach. She had been so sure of what she had seen, but now she was quite so certain. What if nothing was the matter and she had panicked for absolutely no reason? What would these kind people think of them then? "I think she's still sleeping." She said as she stepped quietly into the barn with an audible sigh of relief, the man and his wife following along just behind.

Sure enough, Mikhayla was still sprawled on her back in the hay, her head slightly tilted to one side as her arms clutched the blanket to her chest. Even at the sight of her again, Katie couldn't help but remark at the way her cousin could sleep through anything. She had once gotten dressed, using a hair dryer and straightener right next to Khayl's bed and gone through a whole regime without her friend even fluttering an eyelid.

But this was not that Khayl. This wasn't the Mikhayla Coulter who laughed at the dumbest jokes just to make people feel better; she wasn't the Mikhayla Coulter who tried her best to please everybody though nobody seemed to realise it; she wasn't the Mikhayla Coulter who would get into an argument for arguments sake, only for the other person to be struck dumb when they realised she was just teasing.

That Mikhayla Coulter had been a strong, gentle soul who hid behind her tough exterior and witty one-liners. That Mikhayla had seemed arrogant and prideful to those who associated with her. Those who knew well saw her as brash and indifferent, whilst those who loved her saw her as clever and teasing. Those _she_ loved saw her as insightful and strong-willed. That Mikhayla Coulter had been all of those things and more; a many layered person with a minor complex. She had been different.

But this was _not _that Mikhayla Coulter. This was very nearly a stranger's face.

It was Khayl though; she had the same high cheekbones and strong jaw. Now though her whole face had broadened and changed, her nose had grown slightly with it along with her ears which were half-hidden beneath her tousled auburn hair. Her brows were the same though. The way they curved temperately across her face brought a real kick to any expression she made. Her lips were the same too, the upper one well defined and a smidge too full for the lower. Her freckles hadn't changed either, the way they were scattered across her cheeks faintly like her creator had put a final coat of dusting on her before she was brought into the world. It was Khayl but she was very different.

Her form had changed too, Katie could see that even with the blanket that covered her cousin. She seemed … condensed.

"I thought her friend was a human?" The older man asked, a note of surprise in his voice.

"She wa – is." Katie affirmed continuing to stare at Mikhayla. Perhaps the most disconcerting thing about her friend was the facial hair that had grown over night. It wasn't much, but it began as a small patch beneath her lower lip before trailing down to cover her chin in a small goatee. Katie stared a moment longer at one of the strangest things she had ever seen before she mentally scolded herself. Her cousin had completely changed form and yet Katie was most concerned about the facial hair. Pathetic.

"Well, that certainly looks like a dwarf to me," the man said, curiosity practically leaking from his voice. "but I believe you. But how did it happen overnight?"

"it's those darn fey," his wife spat, wearing a frown for the first time Katie had seen. "Only they could do something like this to a perfectly nice girl."

"Fey? As in magical creatures?" Katie was forced to ask. These were things Khayl had been more interested in than her. "And dwarves? Dwarves aren't real, it's just an insult to unfortunate people." She had to add.

"Dwarves aren't real?" the woman sort of reeled back at Katie's proclamation. In unison the small group moved outside to avoid waking Khayl. "They most certainly are young lady and your friend is now when of them. How could yeh not know about dwarves?"

"That story Khayl told last night, about the wolf? It wasn't true," Katie found herself forced to admit. She wondered if Mikhayla would slap her out if she were beside her at that moment. "We come from another place, another time perhaps. I think – I think we were brought here by magic."

"Go on."

"I didn't tell Khayl my suspicions because she would think I was being childish. I can hear her voice now: 'there are many things in the world, Katie, and magic isn't one of them!'" with a start Katie recognised that she had lied. It wasn't Khayl's voice she heard, but her own with an echo of her father. "We don't belong here. There are no dwarves or fey in our world, and people don't live like this anymore!" she gestured wildly at the surrounding farmhouse and barn.

"Katie?" a murmur came from within the barn. The young woman in question flashed a startled look at the kindly couple who nodded and followed her inside. "What're you shouting for?" Khayl's voice was sounding stronger by the moment and when she came into view she was already standing, though a smidge awkwardly. Perhaps she thought she was hung over as she tried to move towards her cousin only to stumble into the wall.

"Urgh… I feel like I've been kicked in the head by a horse." Khayl mumbled as she straightened up slowly.

"Perhaps you would rather," Katie said before she could stop herself. "I mean – oh I don't know what I mean!" she looked deploring at the farmer and his kindly wife.

"Something must have happened to you after you came through the portal," The husband said. Khayl's jaw dropped and she glared her eyes accusingly at her cousin who in turn bowed her head and accepted the blame with hands raised. "My wife thinks it was fey, but that doesn't matter anymore. There's someone who can help you and he passed through here not a day before you did. I think yeh best bet would be to go after him and seek his aid."

"Thinks what was fey!?" Khayl snarled, narrowing her eyes fiercely, her mind whirring with possibilities.

"This," He took her to a trough outside the barn and forced her to look down into the reflective waters. Mikhayla merely stared down into her reflection with an impassive expression. Then she looked down at her body and then brought her hands up before her face. Khayl's expression was dark as she looked back at the husband. "You're a dwarf now."

"It's not possible," Khayl said. Katie respected that she didn't drop to the ground and start screaming, but that just wouldn't have been in character for her anyway. "We shouldn't even be here. This can't happen to me." Her voice was so deathly still and quiet that it was almost painful to listen to. Katie's whole heart panged with sympathy and she saw the same emotions reflected in the eyes of the kind couple.

"I'm sorry, lass," the man sighed. "But that man I mentioned may well be able to help you or at least send you to someone who can."

Khayl drew in a deep breath and covered her face with her hands. Katie thought for a moment that her cousin was about to start crying or have some sort of mental break done but she just spoke quietly.

"So, what does being a dwarf entail?" she took her hands from her face and allowed herself a brief, strained smile that never exactly reached her eyes. "I mean, aside from the shortness and facial hair."

"I don't know, really," The man said, sharing a quick glance with his wife who was pale and quiet. "They're miners, smiths, warriors, craftsmen. Most dwarves are male. It's a great dishonour for a dwarf to cut his hair and they live in, or rather _under, _mountains mostly. They're a secretive people with distaste for outsiders. That's all I really know."

"And you think this man can help us?"

"Yes, if he can't help you then I'm not sure who can."

The talk then turned to that of the road and the man's wife hurriedly stocked some packs for them as well as searching for some better fitting clothes for Khayl. The man went over the map with the two young women before he helped them tack up their horses. Katie thought that maybe Khayl was finally going to snap when her cousin took note of how small she now was. She was scarcely scraping five foot tall now, if that, and nearly toppled over backwards when she tried to throw her saddle over Prour's back. She was so very ungainly and unaware of her changed body, so much so that she stumbled constantly and nearly threw herself clear over the top when she went to mount the horse. (using the fence as a slight ladder)

"Are you okay?" Katie asked as they road away from the smiling, waving couple. Khayl glanced over at her quickly before she fixated her gaze on the road ahead.

"Not even remotely," she paused for a second before a small smile pricked at her lips. "Perhaps I shouldn't have drunken so much last night."

Katie couldn't breathe for laughing. Once she finally got her raucous laughter under control she found that she just had to ask her cousin another question.

"Doesn't it feel strange?"

"Honestly, if it wasn't for your face and your words I wouldn't think there was a thing wrong, other than how we seem to be stuck in some sort of alternate dimension," Katie marvelled at how calmly her friend was handling it all, though knowing Khayl she had her emotions trapped up inside somewhere and was torturing them with a feather on a stick. Katie stifled a giggle at the thought. "In all honesty, I only feel like I have an enormous hangover. I feel thick and clumsy, though my mind is relatively clear."

"But you're so short!" Katie exclaimed.

"I – I suppose." Khayl was quiet for a long while before she attempted an answer. "It just … feels like the world has gotten bigger. I'm not that small though, right?"

"Uh … you're like five foot nothing, if that," Mikhayla shot her friend a dirty look out of the corner of her eye. "What!? You even make me feel tall, and that's never happened in my life."

Khayl muttered something under her breath and Katie leaned towards her, trying catch the end of her sentence. It was something about 'freaking dwarves,' and 'insufferable relatives.' She stifled another quick grin.

"Come on, do we want to catch up to this person or not?" Khayl growled, spurring Prour into a steady canter that would eat up the miles in no time.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure I do," Katie called as she hastened after her cousin's now solid figure. "You see, I quite like this change. It's definitely an improvement over you being so darn supermodel all the time."

"I hate you," was the reply. Katie had to wonder how she was managing to keep her balance after such a radical, physical change. Then she remembered that Khayl would never let such a thing stop her. One did have to wonder how they were at all related by blood.

They found him about mid-morning, strolling along on his spindly ginger horse. Katie didn't doubt for a moment that this was the man they were looking for. He wore a long grey weathered robe, a pointed hat and a scarf. He carried a gnarled staff in one hand and his beard and hair were long, thick and, like his clothes, grey.

The two young women, well one woman and one she-dwarf, slowed their horses to a docile trot as they approached. The old man looked up and smiled not unkindly.

"Hey- uh hi … sir," Katie began uncomfortably, wishing the old couple had provided a tiny bit more information than they had. "We're uh- not from here, and we've run into a spot of trouble. We were told you could help, or maybe at least point us in the right direction."

"Perhaps if you direct me to the point of your troubles, my dear," he said gently with a twinkling eye. Katie found herself blushing furiously under his gaze. Khayl, who had been instructed by the couple to wear a hood until they encountered the man, slowly lowered it from her head, staring the old man straight in the eye as she did so.

"Strange to see a lady dwarf on the roads." the man said with a smile.

"I'm _not _– I'm not a dwarf," Mikhayla forced herself to say. "Not really. I got turned into one last night. My cousin was right when she said we're not from here; we're from another world or time or _something. _But we're here now and the first night we're here I get turned into a dwarf." Khayl tried to ignore how petulant and needy her voice sounded, forcing it to be strong, but it cracked and shattered on the final word.

One good thing though; the old man took their story at a glance. Neither of the two could help but notice how trusting people in this place seemed to be.

"That is interesting, indeed," He mused into his beard. "I fear I have never heard of such a thing, never once in all my life. But is there a way to turn you back? To send you home?" Katie and Khayl shared an anxious glance but otherwise remained silent as the old man thought deeply.

"Come sit with me," he said at last, swinging his leg up and over and dismounting from his horse with surprising agility for an older fellow. He strode over to a fallen long and sat, pulling out a pipe and lighting it with a flame from the end his finger. The two young women stared at him, agape.

"Was that … magic?" Mikhayla forced herself to speak. Katie seemed to dumbfounded to do anything but stare.

"What – oh yes. A simple thing." He flicked out his wrist and conjured a small flame in his palm.

"A simple thing?" Khayl eyed the flame warily, like they were all about to self-combust at any moment. "Magic is _not _real!" she choked out.

"Is it not?" The old man – wizard – let them chew on his words for a moment before a cleared his throat, causing both young women to start. "Now tell me this most intriguing story of yours and leave not a detail out."

Katie spoke up at last and told their story, from beginning to end, adding in every piece of conversation and every speculation that ever crossed her mind. Khayl found herself marvelling at her forthrightness

"Can you help us, sir?"

"Perhaps," he said at last. "Tell me, Khayl, what did you feel when this portal opened?"

"I felt like the whole world tilted backwards to stand on its end and then we fell downwards, or backwards." The old man nodded twice, fingering his beard.

"Katie, you said that you were pulled downwards, as though you were being sucked through quick sand?"

"Yes." Katie looked as bewildered as Mikhayla felt.

"So one of you was drawn and the other fell. That is most interesting indeed." Khayl though it was more likely that one of them had gotten confused than that it had any real significance, but she let him go. "What was going through your mind the exact moment before the portal?"

"I wasn't thinking anything," Khayl said. "I was riding, bow in hand. There was scarcely a thought that passed through my mind long before it happened. But at that exact moment? No, I wasn't thinking anything at all that I can remember."

"I was thinking about my mother," Katie looked down and her voice was soft. "She left me when I was born upon my father's doorstep. He rarely spoke of her. At that moment I was thinking only about her. I wondered what she would think if she could see me now."

The wizard seemed to be putting the pieces together in his head now and Khayl wondered if he was ever going to share his own thoughts on the matter.

"You're father's name is James Coulter." He said simply evoking a cry from Katie.

"Yes! How do you know!?" Her eyes were wide and terrified and Khayl's fists curled out of reflex.

"You're mother one day told me you might come, Katie. Though she didn't deign to tell me you might bring a friend." He shook his head slowly, missing the alarmed looks passing between the cousins. "She's an elf with a strong magical essence. Something she seems to have passed on to you. Though how she, or you for that matter, has ever managed to travel between worlds is beyond me."

"I didn't do anything!" Katie exclaimed, looking as though she wanted nothing more than to run away at this very moment, though Khayl could see the curiosity sparkling in her eyes. "And I'm _not _magic. Or half elf." She added as an afterthought.

"Why does the thought frighten you so?"

"Because this-"she gestured wildly to the world around them. "Is unnatural. At least tell me I didn't do this to Khayl!"

"You didn't, don't worry. I believe Middle Earth itself did that to your friend,"

"Uh… what?" Mikhayla finally found she had to say something seeing as though the conversation was back on her.

"An adjustment of sorts. In your world there are only humans, you said. So upon coming here you were most likely sorted into the race that best suits your nature. In this case the strong-willed, hot-headed and loyal race of dwarves."

"So the humans here are of a different nature?" Khayl tried to think past that annoyingly little voice in the back of her head that kindly kept reminding her that she's crazy.

"Not especially, no, just that you are not of the same nature. I imagine where you're from the humans have every type nature, like a hotpot with everything thrown in."

"So… I'm stuck until we leave this place?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful."

**A/N I'm really sorry if anything got lost in translation there or if it's written really terribly. I have a new kitten and it's decided that pulling the keys off of my school laptop is great fun. It's also really adorable and called M&M's, which short for Mighty Mouse, Mini Monster etc. **

**Also, I was just having a lot of trouble trying to just explain what was going on. If you need me to, send me a message and I'll try to clarify. I'm really sorry (again) if it seems boring so far, but I'm working on it, I promise. **

**Loves XO**

**EquusGold**


	4. Chapter 4 Argo

Chapter Four: Argo

**_Leopara:_ Thanks for your review! I know I should have gone for suspense, but for some reason this just seemed to work better (hopefully you'll see why as you read :) ) but on another note I'm taking Khayl to Ered Luin so there should be plenty of interactions. I'm actually hoping to build on the story before the quest starts looming over everything. I hope I provide however when it comes to all of our dwarf friends! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**

**Also, thanks _Marina Oakenshield_ for your consistent pokes on each chapter. They actually mean quite a lot to me :D**

Travelling with Gandalf the Grey was boring. At least, that's what Mikhayla thought. When the old wizard had been able to provide a solution for them he had insisted that the two young women travel with him. Like they really had a choice in the matter.

They were going to a town called Oldernoff, which was probably the weirdest name for a place that Khayl had ever heard. Nevertheless she rode in silence whilst her cousin chatted amiably with the wizard. Gandalf had promised to teach Katie magic, which Khayl though was most certainly strange since he had made no promises regarding her own humanity. But maybe she was just being bitter.

Years, Gandalf had told her. That was how long it might take to find them a way home. That was how long she might be a dwarf. But that wasn't what bothered her the most. It wasn't that her family was so far out of reach it hurt think about, or that she may never see them again. It wasn't that she was a dwarf or that they were in some kind of other world.

What bothered her most was that her world was now filled with if's, maybe's and might's. That sense of insecurity, of an ever changing future, that was what bothered her most. Everything in this world was unfamiliar. Everything set her teeth on edge when she looked at it.

At the moment she was missing the birds.

It was raining and she was missing the birds that flocked about her home in this type of weather. It was probably sad that she no longer cared about being wet through to her bones or that the clothes she wore seemed to trap water better than it warded it off. Even her boots were filled with water. And still it kept raining. Back to the birds, Mikhayla told herself, trying to keep her mind off the damp that squished under her backside with every step Prour took. The birds in Australia are bright and full of song and colour, even in the rain, _especially _in the rain. They squawked and keened and laughed; no chirruping or tweeting there. In this damp, fungus strewn hellhole the only bird was a singular raven that crowed mournfully from somewhere above.

They been travelling for four days and had scarcely seen a soul. One of the nights had been spent at an inn on the side of the road. Ironically that had been the only night it hadn't rained. They had bought some saddles when they arrived; two heavy old things that would have been more at home in a museum. That night though they had managed to scrounge up some clothes that fitted the new Mikhayla, as well as pair of heavy dwarven boots that didn't pinch her feet like her others. The belted tunic and leather coat had supposedly belonged to some long dead patron of the inn who had gotten into a fight only to be stabbed. It wasn't the best story to go with her new clothes but she felt that maybe she could turn their luck around. Gandalf had said they were necessary as they disguised any of her … femininity when coupled with a hood. She hadn't cared. They were clothes, and they were warm and comfortable. Plus, they were free since Gandalf had paid for everything.

"Khayl! Stop trying to fry the rain with you glare and get over here! We've finally arrived." Katie's young voice carried on the eager wind and the she-dwarf looked up, scowling, only to realise she had fallen a ways behind the others. She spurred Prour on up the muddy slope. "Pretty, isn't it?" Oldernoff looked like a sparkling nest of fireflies through the rain.

"Anything that speaks of warmth and shelter is considered pretty at the moment." Khayl reminded her as she rode after Gandalf who had taken to ignoring her since she apparently had nothing constructive to say. She nearly jumped straight out of her new saddle when he addressed her directly.

"Khayl, I've been thinking long and hard about what to do with you." He said, turning in his saddle to look at her.

"Sounds like you're about to palm me off to a babysitter." She found herself grumbling in reply. Gandalf merely took on an innocent expression and continued talking as though he'd hadn't heard her.

"And I remembered a discussion I had with a fellow not too long ago. He's a dwarf you see, and a very knowledgeable and well-respected one at that."

"You are sending me to a babysitter!" Mikhayla exclaimed, outraged. This time Gandalf scowled at her.

"It's for your own benefit. I told you, we might never find a way to send either of you home. In which case you will need to learn about the ways of your new people. I will teach Katie what I can and then I will find her a place of her own among to elves." Khayl couldn't help but feel like they were being punished for something they hadn't done.

"Why can't I go with you?" she found herself whining. Instantly she felt ashamed. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, promising herself not to let the situation overwhelm her. "I'm sorry. You know this world and magic etcetera whilst we are just strangers here. If you say this is what must happen, than it must happen."

"Thankyou, Khayl," Gandalf nodded his appreciation. "Come, let us hasten for dinner."

"Amen to that!" Katie exclaimed, having watched the exchange between the dwarf and the wizard with unease. She had always had Khayl to protect her and teach her. Now they were just going to be separated? The days ahead were beginning to seem hollow already.

Khayl and Katie silently followed Gandalf up the winding stairs of the inn and along a long corridor, eyeing the number on each door as they passed.

"Ah! Here we are, number fourteen," Gandalf said happily before knocking on the door with the end of his staff. There was a sudden silence inside the room before the person huffed and moved to the door, stomping loudly. The door creaked agonisingly as it opened and they were soon faced with their first real look at a normal dwarf.

"Gandalf," he said sullenly. Khayl couldn't tell if the attitude came from this meeting or if he was usually like this. His thick silver and black beard covered half his face like a bear that had gotten lost down there. His eyes however were small and dark, glittering as they danced among the three of them, not missing a thing.

"May we come in, Argo?" Gandalf said with a little force, seemingly to remind the dwarf of his manners.

"If you must."

The inside of the room was dingy but warm and Mikhayla couldn't help but notice that this dwarf was even shorter than she was by a good inch or two. His limbs were all thickly muscled and he moved with a kind of strength that made Khayl uneasy. Her father had moved like that when he was younger, back when he been exclusively sheering rams on the stations. It was a strength born of hard labour and a powerful character.

"Typically, the visitor introduces themselves first." Came Argo's rough voice, though Khayl sensed a slight smile behind it.

"Apologies, Master Argo, I am Katie Coulter." Katie firmly dug her elbow into Mikhayla's side as she stepped forward to introduce herself, though as she was now several inches taller it was all the more uncomfortable.

"And I am Khayl-" She forced herself to stop, realising that she couldn't in fact introduce herself as Katie's relative. She bit back the words, leaving a sour taste in her mouth.

"Argo. Son of Burgo at your service," he said, bowing low with a practiced ease that made Khayl suddenly feel inadequate. She hid it though and looked at Gandalf fleetingly. "How can I help you, Gandalf?" The dwarf asked, also turning his attention to the wizard.

"I need ask of you an immense favour, my friend." With that he went and sat with Argo on the far end of the room, but not before the dwarf offered the women food which was gladly accepted.

"I'll miss you, you know," Katie said after a moment as she tore apart a bread roll. "It'll be weird not having you there to watch out for me."

"I'm sure by now you can watch out for yourself, Katie. You're more than capable." Khayl didn't want to admit how much she would also miss her cousin, her best link to home. If she did it would make the separation nigh unbearable.

"So, what story is Gandalf telling this guy?" Katie asked. "I mean he can't exactly tell him the truth – can he?"

"He sort of is. He's telling him that I was raised by a human family which, in essence, is the truth. But we're not telling him that I _was _human." Khayl informed her, picking at the stew. "What do you think of him?"

"He scares me a little," Katie admitted quietly, fixating her gaze upon the food. Khayl snorted quietly.

"You're not the one who's going to be stuck with him. But he doesn't seem scary, just different."

They both stopped talking as Gandalf and Argo stood and moved back over to them. Khayl raised her eyebrows as the dwarf stopped in front of her and seemed to ponder his words carefully. Trying to avoid the awkwardness she focused instead on the beads and clasps that were braided into his beard and hair. They were fascinating and Khayl couldn't help but hope it was a dwarf thing and not an individuality statement.

"So you were raised by humans…" he began, almost awkwardly.

"Yes…"

"And know nothing about your dwarf roots?"

"…yes…" She replied. Argo growled beneath his breath and turned to Gandalf sharply. The old wizard watched him with hooded eyes.

"And _you _want _me_ to teach _her_ everything? Everything that a dwarf would spend their entire lives learning?"

"She's a fast learner,"

"How do you know?" Khayl interjected, only to be silenced by a glance from Gandalf who otherwise ignored her.

"Besides, she will work hard to earn her keep," the old wizard shot a long stern look at Argo. "I need you to do this, both her and for me, Argo. She cannot survive in this world on her own." Khayl tried to restrain the scowl that splashed across her face and merely leaned back in her chair haughtily.

"I _do _need a new apprentice," The other dwarf mused quietly for a moment. "I will take her on as an apprentice and teach whatever she needs to know. However I must know how long she is to remain with me?"

"However long you deem fit so that she is capable of living a true dwarf's life. Perhaps less if something crops up between now and then." Khayl resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands as her life looked as though it was taking even more unpredictable and uncontrollable turns. Instead she glanced at Katie who shot her a weak but encouraging smile. Instantly, Khayl felt horrible. She had been so caught up in her own life and her own troubles that she hadn't given a moment's consideration to what was going to happen to Katie. But she couldn't very well ask about it at that moment with Argo hovering about looking increasingly grumpy.

They ate the rest of the meal in virtual silence before Gandalf stood and beckoned to Katie. Khayl realised with a sudden jolt that the time had come for goodbyes and yet all she could do was stare absently at her cousin.

"I'll see you soon?" Katie said uncertainly, though it came out as more of a question.

"Of course," Khayl was painfully aware of how Argo was watching the young women standing at the door awkwardly and knew she couldn't move to embrace her cousin tightly, to hold onto her as if that would make everything seem more real. Instead they smiled sadly at each other and Katie placed a hand on Khayl's shoulder, gripping it tightly for a moment before she turned and left the room, trying to conceal the tears that sprang to her eyes unbidden. Khayl stared after her even after that door had closed, wondering all the while if she would ever see any member of her family again.

When she turned back around she saw a pile of heavy woollen blankets had been placed in the corner on a bare stretch of floor. A pillow was haphazardly tossed across the room to thump on top of the pile.

"Appreciate what rest yeh can get," Argo grumbled. "From now on you'll do your learning from dawn, then work, then more learning until I say stop." Khayl merely nodded in agreement as the older dwarf laid down the laws.

"When you're working you'll stay in the back of the forge where I put yeh. Always wear your hood in public and give no indication that you're female-"

"Why not?"

"Because most people don't know of the existence of female dwarves and since there're so few of yeh we'd like to keep it that way." Argo seemed to be taking his mentoring role with a pinch of salt as her responded to her without so much as blinking an eyelid.

"Why're there so few female dwarfs?" Khayl asked, the question springing to her lips unbidden.

"It's just the way it's always been. No one really knows why." Argo looked marginally perturbed at the thought, as though he had never wondered such a thing before. Mikhayla, on the other hand, was thinking back to those biology lessons about X and Y chromosomes and wondered if she had changed in many other ways than could be seen. "Now, sleep."

With a willing heart, Khayl tossed out the blankets and succeeded in making some sort of nest in the corner while Argo lay down in his bed with a huff. Khayl thought it weird that she was sleeping not two metres from a complete stranger, a grown man nonetheless, and she didn't feel the slightest bit uncomfortable. Argo, though older and crotchety, had presence about him that made the newly-made she-dwarf feel secure. Despite his grizzled appearance and not-so-endearing manner he had taken her in when he had no reason to whatsoever. He took her babyish questions and so far hadn't ridiculed her once. He reminded her of her father with his stern words and salt and pepper beard.

Nestling into the scratchy woollen blankets, Khayl smiled at the thought that she might actually have a place in this world for the time being, that someone could finally give her answers.

**A/N Well, this chapter couldn't have been more painful to write if I actually tried. I'm really sorry that this actually took pretty much forever. School kind of just grabbed me in a headlock with mid-year exams etc and then I was writing out the story in a notebook and never actually got around to typing them up… I know, I suck, but here it is at last! And hopefully with none of the simply atrocious spelling mistakes that littered the previous chapters.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading and don't forget to leave a review. (Pretty please?)**

**XO**

**EquusGold **


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